Educating & Engaging Voters on Tax Reform

The Challenge

Heading into the 2013 legislative session, state lawmakers were poised to modernize North Carolina’s tax code. The North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants (NCACPA) recognized this historic opportunity and the urgent need for reform, but was concerned that the issue would once again fall victim to politics, as it had multiple times in the past.

The Strategy

Eckel & Vaughan knew that modernizing the tax code would only be possible if voters understood why reform was important and urged their legislators to act. We also knew that the NCACPA’s 13,000 professionals would be powerful advocates in leading the voter education charge.

We worked with the NCACPA to develop the “Tar Heel Tax Reform” campaign to educate voters. At the heart of the campaign was a microsite that housed a three-minute video, downloadable one-pagers, a Change.org petition and legislative analysis. We also utilized media relations, paid search, social media, and NCACPA’s existing communications channels to drive CPAs, their clients, and voters to the microsite and encourage them to act.

Eckel & Vaughan helped our CPAs educate and engage thousands of NC taxpayers in a matter of months. The campaign also elevated the profile of CPAs in North Carolina, as our leaders were cited as experts in regional and national news outlets such as the News & Observer, the Greensboro News & Record, and CNN Money.

- Jim AhlerCEO, NCACPA

The Outcome

Tar Heel Tax Reform succeeded in raising awareness about the importance of the issue, and the legislation was signed into law in July 2013.